Pratumnak Hill and the Big Buddha
The only high point between the two bays, with an eighteen-metre gilded Buddha.
Duration
30 min – 45 min
Best time
At sunset
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Pratumnak separates Pattaya bay from Jomtien bay, and it is the city's only high ground. Wat Phra Yai sits on top, with an eighteen-metre gilded seated Buddha raised in 1977 and visible from the sea.
A naga-lined staircase leads up, and the terrace runs right round: on one side the curve of Pattaya and its towers, on the other the long beach of Jomtien. The Khao Pratumnak viewpoint, five minutes away, adds the offshore islands.
Getting there
On the road linking Pattaya to Jomtien over the hill. Ten minutes by scooter or baht bus from either beach.
Rules on site
Shoulders and knees covered to step onto the Buddha's platform, shoes off. The steps burn underfoot in the middle of the day.